Parenteral liquid container with air tube



Oct. 15, 1968 D. A. JELLIE'S 3,405,723

PARENTERAL LIQUID CONTAINER WITH AIR TUBE Filed June 13, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I. F /6. 2.

INVENTOR DAV/19 4. JflL/[S ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1968 A. JELLIES 3,405,723

PARENTERAL LIQUID CONTAINER WITH AIR TUBE Filed June 13, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T: IO

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F I II [1m 32 1 98 Ill-l. 30 58 "WE/WW (WV/0 A Jill/[5 A TTORNEY United States Patent 3,405,723 PARENTERAL LIQUID CONTAINER WITH AIR TUBE David A. Jellies, Glendale, Calif., assiguor, by mesue assignments, to American Hospital Supply Corporation,

a corporation of Illinois Filed June '13, 1966, Ser. No. 557,238 4 Claims. (Cl. 137-43) This invention relates to a parenteral liquid container and more particularly to a valved air tube inside the container.

An air tube in a parenteral liquid container normally connects to an air entrance port in a closure of the container. The air tube extends inside the container and'admits air to the container as liquid is dispensed to a patient.

A problem with such an air tube has been liquid from the container leaking out through the air tube. This is particularly a problem in plastic containers which have flexible walls. When a nurse or physician grasps a thermoplastic container he depresses the walls, causing liquid in the container to gush up through the air tube. The liquid can then splash on a nonsterile outer surface of the container. When he releases his grip, contaminated liquid might be drawn back into the container.

I have overcome this problem by providing a unique air tube and float valve combination in a parenteral liquid container. My invention has an air tube attached at one end to a closure of the container and has a float valve at an opposite end of this air tube. This combination stops liquid from draining out through the air tube regardless of whether the container is in a mouth upward or a mouth downward position. This valve permits air to enter the container when liquid is dispensed.

My invention can be better understood with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front plan view cut away to show the valve and air tube combination;

FIGURE 2 is a front plan view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the container inverted for dispensing;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the valve shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional side elevational view of the valve shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional side elevational view of the valve shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURES l and 2 show the thermoplastic parenteral liquid container and valved air tube combination. The thermoplastic container has a closure 6 sealing off a mouth 2 of the container. Closure 6 can be a tear-off closure system as described in United States patent application entitled, Apparatus for Storing and Handling Parenteral Liquids and Method for Opening Same, Ser. No. 557,237, filed June 13, 1966, invented by Louis N. Bathish and David A. Jellies. At an opposite bottom end 4 the container has a hinged hanger 5 for supporting the container in a mouth-downward position as in FIG- URE 2.

Inside the container an air tube connects at one end to a closure 6 and extends to an opposite end adjacent bottom 4. This opposite end of the air tube has a float valve 25.

Float valve overcomes the serious problem of liquid gushing up through the air tube when walls 90 and 91 of thermoplastic container 1 are depressed with closure 6 open. This float valve 25 permits air to enter the container but prevents liquid from draining out the air tube regardless of whether the container is in an upright or a mouth-downward position.

Valve 25 is of a three-part construction. It has a trans- 3,405,723 Patented Oct. 15, 1968 verse base 30 with an opening 31 surrounded by a proje'cting ring 32 forming a valve seat. This transverse base 30 is wedged onto air tube 20. i

' A cage 96 snap fits to the transverse base 30. Cage 96 comprises a peripheral band 98 that fits around a periphery of transverse base 30. Band 98 has a series of hooks 59 and 60 and legs 53 and 55 having shoulders 56 and 58 cooperating to grip the cage to base 30. A series of cross'beams 54 with prongs 70 support a flexible disk-shaped floating rubber member 40 adjacent transverse base 30. i

FIGURE 4 shows the valve 25 submerged in liquid of the upright container in FIGURE 1. Here the floating valve member 40 is urged upwardly through buoyant force to seal against projecting ring 32. Any pressure that is exerted when one flexes the walls and 91 inwardly merely forces floating valve member 40 tighter against projecting ring 32. This stops any liquid from being pumped out through air tube 20.

When the container 1 is inverted in FIGURE 2 for dispensing, the valve 25 projects above a liquid level 11. Here as parenteral liquid 10 is dispensed, air is drawn in through air tube 20. The valve in FIGURE 5 is not immersed in liquid. Hence the valve is not lifted ofl projecting ring 32 except by air entering upwardly through air tube 20.

Prongs 70 keep the floating valve member 40 from sticking to cross beams 54 by surface tension if a drop of water becomes lodged in cage 96.

In the above specification I have used specific embodiments to illustrate my invention. It is understood that those skilled in the art can make certain modifications to this embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invent-ion.

I claim:

1. In a parenteral liquid container having liquid therein with a mouth thereof sealed by a closure that has an air entrance port means, the improvement of:

(a) an elongated air tube having one end connected with the air entrance port means of the closure, said air tube extending inside the container to an opposite end of the air tube; and

(b) a float valve aflixed to said opposite end of the air tube, said float valve extending above the liquid level in the container when the container is in a mouth-downward position, said float valve permitting air to enter the container but preventing parenteral liquid from exiting through the air tube, said float valve body having a floating valve member that is buoyed upwardly to close the float valve when the container is in a mouth-upwardly position and the float valve is submerged in the liquid.

2. In combination:

(a) a thermoplastic parenteral liquid container having a mouth therein and having side walls that are laterally depressable;

(b) a closure sealing off the container, which closure has an air entrance port means;

'(c) parenteral liquid partially filling said container and establishing a liquid level therein;

(d) an air tube with one end connected to the air entrance port means of the closure, said air tube extending inside the container to an opposite end of the air tube; and

(e) a float valve aflixed to said opposite end of the air tube, said float valve extending above the liquid level in the container when the container is in a mouthdownward position, said float valve permitting air to enter the container but preventing parenteral liquid from exiting through the air tube, said float valve having a floating valve member that is buoyed upwardly to close the float valve when the container is in a mouth-upwardly position and the float valve is submerged in the liquid.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein the floating valve comprises: a transverse base member having an opening therethrough communicating with a bore of the air tube; a cage means atfixed to said base member; and a fiat disk-shaped floating valve member retained within said cage and adapted to seat against the base member to close ofif said opening.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein the transverse base has a projecting ring about the opening against whichthe disk-shaped floating valve member can seat; and the cage has a band surrounding a periphery of the transverse base with a plurality of legs and hooks attached to said band cooperating to hold the cage to the transverse base member, said legs being connected by a cross beam with projecting prongs on said cross beam to hold the disk-shaped floating valve in the vicinity of the opening in the transverse base member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,557,089 10/1925 Reasoner 137-433 1,851,084 3/1932 Brown et a]. 137-430 2,010,417 8/1935 Schwab 128-214 2,528,600 11/1950 Lombard 137-43 2,580,530 1/1952 Diley 137-587 2,884,924 5/1959 Shaw 137-588 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,233 2/1954 Denmark.

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

W. R. CLINE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PARENTERAL LIQUID CONTAINER HAVING LIQUID THEREIN WITH A MOUTH THEREOF SEALED BY A CLOSRURE THAT HAS AN AIR ENTRANCE PORT MEANS, THE IMPROVEMENT OF: (A) AN ELONGATED AIR TUBE HAVING ONE END CONNECTED WITH THE AIR ENTRANCE PORT MEANS OF CLOSURE, SAID AIR TUBE EXTENDING INSIDE THE CONTAINER TO AN OPPOSITE END OF THE AIR TUBE; AND (B) A FLOAT VALVE AFFIXED TO SAID OPPOSITE END OF THE AIR TUBE, SAID FLOAT VALVE EXTENDING ABOVE THE LIQUID LEVEL IN THE CONTAINER WHEN THE CONTAINER IS IN A MOUTH-DOWNWARD POSITION, SAID FLOAT VALVE PERMITTING AIR TO ENTER THE CONTAINER BUT PREVENTING PARENTERAL LIQUID FROM EXITING THROUGH THE AIR TUBE, SAID FLOAT VALVE BODY HAVING A FLOATING VALVE MEMBER THAT IS BUOYED UPWARDLY TO CLOSE THE FLOAT VALVE WHEN THE CONTAINER IS IN A MOUTH-UPWARDLY POSITION AND THE FLOAT VALVE IS SUBMERGED IN THE LIQUID. 